Chapter 1

Alone

Written By Derpy 2

"Scootaloo? We're coming Scoot, hold on!" Sweetie Belle screamed.

"HELP!" Scootaloo cried out to nopony in particular. "Somepony, help!"

"Hold on Scootaloo, we're ah coming!" Applebloom yelled out. Scootaloo screamed again. Sweetie Belle kept running. Just a little bit farther. If only.... if only they had stayed, if... if only they had watched her.

"Shut up Sweetie Belle!" Sweetie murmured to herself. She raced around the one-room schoolhouse, muscles aching, sweat running down her face. She wouldn't stop, not until she reached Scootaloo. She turned a corner to see Scootaloo lying in a heap. "Scootaloo!" Sweetie cried out in agony, "Scoot! Hold on! Just a minute!" Sweetie and Applebloom couldn't get there fast enough. They stumbled, both falling to Scootaloo's side.

"Scoot! We- we'll get somepony! Hold on!" Applebloom yelled, running off. Sweetie sat there, trying to bear the feeling of guilt and sorrow building up in her.

"Scoot, I-" Sweetie Belle choked on her own words. She couldn't bear to see Scootaloo crumpled up in a heap like that. Not moving, barely breathing. "Scoots, I-" Sweetie tried again, only to be cut off by a noise. "A- Applebloom? Is.... is that you?" The noise was becoming clearer and closer. It sounded.... shrill... like a... scream. Suddenly, a shrill scream pierced the silence, catching Sweetie by surprise. She covered her ears with her hooves. "Scoots? Wha- whats going on?" she asked the non-moving filly on the ground. The screams were becoming louder and louder. Soon, there was more than one scream. Hundreds of screams filled the air. Soon, those screams formed words. Sweetie whimpered and curled up into a tight ball.

"Sweetie Belle! Applebloom! Help!" the screams yelled into Sweetie's ears. Sweetie Belle screamed. Why was her friend torturing her like this? She couldn't take it.

"Scootaloo please.... stop!" Sweetie screamed. She thrashed around.

"Sweetie! Sweetie Belle!" a voice said. Rarity? Was she here to help- Sweetie's thought was cut off by Rarity once again. "Sweetie Belle, wake up!"

Sweetie awoke to Rarity's strained face. "Sweetie Belle. You were having another nightmare! You know it wasn't your fault Sweetie! It was an accident!" Rarity tried to reassure her. Sweetie sighed.

"Bu- but it was my fault... if I... I had been there quicker, Scoots wouldn't have crashed... and-" Sweetie let out a big sob and burst into tears. Rarity sighed. Ever since the accident, Sweetie had been waking up in a cold sweat, screaming.

"Sweetie, I think, I think it's time," Rarity admitted. "It is time for you to get out of your room and go outside. You need to talk with your friends."

"But my friends, they aren't here! Applebloom is, well, locked away in her room, and Scoots..." Sweetie stuttered.

"Surely you have other friends, sweetheart! You just need to go play with them. It is time for you to return to school. You're getting behind on your studies anyway, and no sister of MINE will be uneducated", Rarity directed promptly. Her face softened. "Sweetie, I think you'll feel better if you talk to some other ponies. It'll help you get your mind off of things. It's settled. Tomorrow, you will go to school." Sweetie was in shock. She didn't want to go to school! She had been out for so long! And, without Applebloom and Scootaloo, she would be all alone! "Now, try and get some rest Sweetie. We don't want you tired on your first day back!" Rarity said as she trotted to the door. When she shut it, Sweetie sighed. She hated Rarity for making her go to school. Didn't she remember? That's where... IT happened. Sweetie referred to Scootaloo's death as 'IT'. It was to painful to say 'death, accident, or demise'. All the memories hurt Sweetie Belle and thinking of them reopened the wound. Rarity didn't get it. Nopony got what she was feeling except Applebloom and Applebloom wouldn't come out of her room. Sweetie had felt so many feelings after IT. Guilt, regret, sorrow, and now, the feeling of being alone. It didn't feel good.

Chapter 2

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As her eyes fluttered awake, Sweetie Belle groaned. That alarm was so annoying! The Beep! Beep! Beep! of her clock gave her a headache. She groaned again and pulled her pillow over her head. She was drifting back to sleep when Rarity burst into her room. "Sweetie Belle! You need to get up! School starts in an hour!" Rarity scolded. "We would not want you to be late on your first day back, would we now?" Rarity shot Sweetie a cold, hard glance that made Sweetie shrink back. You did NOT want to anger Rarity, especially in the morning, when she was at her worst.

"Yes Rarity," Sweetie Belle mumbled, only to avoid a fight with her sister that would result in her getting grounded. She dragged herself out of bed and out her door. She trudged downstairs with a sullen attitude. She did NOT want to go to school. Maybe... maybe she could pretend to be sick! Then she wouldn't have to go to scho- Sweetie's thoughts were interrupted by Rarity.

"Sweetie Belle! You have barely eaten anything! Eat your eggs! And don't slouch in your chair! That is not good posture!" Rarity instructed while pouring her morning coffee. Sweetie Belle wasn't in the mood to listen to Rarity's antics. She scarfed down her breakfast and quickly brushed her mane. The sooner she got to school, the sooner she could leave. "Here are your saddlebags Sweetie! Now, have a good day at school!" Rarity said cheerfully as Sweetie walked out the door. "Goodbye!" Sweetie didn't reply. She wasn't in the mood. She wasn't in the mood for anything, for that matter. Especially not school. As she made her way down the path to school, old memories came back. The ones she had sealed in the back of her mind. She remembered last Hearts and Hooves day, when she and her friends had tried to set up Big Mack and Cheerilee together. She also remembered one time when they had been trying to get their cutie marks as journalists. They had definitely knocked Diamond down a peg then. Cutie Marks. Sweetie Belle sighed as she remembered all the random things her and the other CMCs had tried to do to get their marks. Sweetie Belle sighed. She missed the wild, crazy group she used to belong to. After IT, she and Applebloom broke apart, and without Scoots, well, they weren't the Cutie Mark Crusaders anymore.

Sweetie looked up, snapping away from her jumbled thoughts as she grunted an Oomph. "Sorry," she muttered to the pink pony she had bumped into. Wait, pink pony-

Sweetie's thoughts were interrupted by a curt, "You will be." The pink pony jumped in surprise as she realized who she was talking to. "Sweetie Belle! Wha- what are you doing here! You've been gone for months! I thought-"

Sweetie Belle interrupted her. "Well, whatever you thought, you thought wrong." Diamond Tiara flinched. When had Sweetie Belle, the NICE one, become so mean?

"Hmph, you must have lost your common sense along with your friend! Or have you forgotten, I rule this school, Sweetie Belle! And you will pay for what you said!"

"Whatever," Sweetie mumbled and walked off. She didn't want to deal with Diamond Tiara right now, and the meaning of her words hadn't been realized by the half-asleep, miserable Sweetie Belle.

"WHATEVER!" Diamond screeched, causing some ponies to glance at her, then quickly look away when she shot them a glare. "Whatever. You'll pay for what you said Sweetie Belle! You. Will. Pay. NO ONE says no to Diamond Tiara," Diamond ranted, then glanced across the playground, seeing her best friend. "Sliver Spoon! Get over here! We need to talk! I know somepony who needs a little lesson about learning her place! And what a good place to teach this lesson, school!" Diamond cackled.

Chapter 3

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The whole time she was at school, Sweetie Belle felt like a zompony. She could hardly hear anything except the ticking of the clock, ever so slowly. As the minutes dragged on, Sweetie felt as if she was aging another year every hour. She didn't pay any attention to the lessons being taught, and instead just stared off into blank space. When her mind wandered, she usually ended up thinking about IT. To get her mind off of things like that, she made up song lyrics, a talent she could perform easily. Although it was one of her musical talents, Sweetie had given up on believing that it was her special talent. It was one of the only things she could do while she was stuck in her room. Sweetie sighed miserably. If she had gotten out and about more in the last few months instead of moping in her room, she would probably already HAVE her cutie mark. If it weren't for- (No Sweetie, don't think about that). Think about......

We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders
On a quest to find out who we are
And we will never stop the journey
Not until we have our cutie marks
They all say that you'll get mark
When time is really right
And you know just what you're supposed to do
When your talent comes to light.

"Sweetie Belle? Can you answer this question?" Ms. Cheerilee asked, surprising Sweetie Belle.

"Umm, I- uh," Sweetie Belle stuttered. 1/4+2/4=? What does it equal? "Umm, 1/2?" Sweetie Belle blurted, knowing that was not the answer.

"No, the answer is actually-"

"Oh, oh oh oh! I know the answer Ms. Cheerilee!"

"Yes, Diamond Tiara?"

"The answer is 4/4! Of course, Sweetie Belle wouldn't know that because she's been curled up in her room like a BABY for-"

"That is ENOUGH, Diamond Tiara! That was very inappropriate of you to say that! I am sorry, but you will have to stay in during lunch!" Everypony in the class stared at Ms. Cheerilee, dumbfounded. Diamond Tiara opened her mouth, then quickly shut it. "Alright, now that that has been taken care of, the answer is ACTUALLY 3/4," Ms. Cheerilee said as if nothing had happened. The class snickered. Diamond Tiara was fuming. Her face turned bright red. Sweetie Belle smirked; if only Applebloom could see the look on her face! Scootaloo would get a kick out of-

We've got hearts, as strong as horses
We've got hearts, as strong as horses!

Ring! Ring! "Alright class, you may go to lunch," Ms. Cheerilee stated as all the fillies and colts rushed out the door. "Not you, Diamond Tiara."

"Humph...." Diamond sighed grumpily. She sat back down in her chair and watched everypony shuffle out the door.

"Now, Diamond........" Sweetie Belle heard no more, for Ms. Cheerilee shut the door. Sweetie shuffled outside and sat down. Although none of the other kids were mean to her like Diamond, they still avoided her out of fear that Diamond would make their lives miserable. Not even Twist, a social outcast, would come up to her. All through lunch, she sat on the grass, eating her lunch as she looked at the ground. Although they thought she didn't notice, Sweetie sensed the other students staring at her and whispering about her. Well, this much was to be expected, Sweetie thought. She had been gone for months. What Rarity had not realized, was by making her go to school, she would be seen as even more of an outcast than she already was. At least before IT, she had the other Cutie Mark Crusaders to fall back on. Now, she had nopony. Only Applebloom could understand how she was feeling right now, and Applebloom, well, Applebloom won't come out of her room or talk to anypony. Suddenly, the bell rang and everypony rushed inside. Sweetie shuffled along and followed them to her seat, ready to ignore the rest of the day.

The day dragged on, with Sweetie Belle in a trance. She had almost gotten in trouble because of her drifting thoughts, but she had managed to avoid a detention. When the day ended, Sweetie Belle rushed outside with everypony else, happy to hurry home. Just as she was about to head off of school grounds, Diamond Tiara showed up. "Hey! Sweetie Belle! Thanks a lot!"

"You're welcome, Diamond," Sweetie replied.

"Don't act smart with me, Sweetie Belle," Diamond growled. "You seemed to have forgotten, I rule this school! You will pay for everything you have done! You know what I'm capable of. That Bab Seed taught me a lot."

"Right......" Sweetie Belle stammered. Bab Seed had been EVIL! She couldn't handle Bab Tiara on her own. As soon as she thought that thought, she ran off. She couldn't handle Diamond Tiara. Not now, not ever. She realized that without her friends, she was vulnerable. She was worthless. She was helpless. She was nothing without her friends. She was alone.

As soon as she opened the boutique's door, Rarity asked, "Good day at school?"

"N- Yes Rarity," Sweetie Belle lied. She didn't want to have to explain everything that had happened to her at school, or Diamond Tiara. The last time she was bullied, Rarity had NOT taken it well. She sent a letter of 'disgrace' as she called it to Bab's parents. Sweetie didn't want Rarity to send a letter to Diamond's parents for multiple reasons. For one, Diamond would just bully her more, for Filthy thought his daughter was a little angel. Second, Rarity would lose one of her best customers. Filthy was one of the few ponies who not only wore clothes outside of special occasions, but all the time. Without him, Rarity would lose a lot of bits. "I- I have homework, Rarity. I have to go," Sweetie Belle said to Rarity, desperate for an excuse to get away from her so she could think.

"Alright, Sweetie Belle, just finish before dinner!" Rarity replied cheerfully. She watched as Sweetie trudged up the stairs. Rarity could tell Sweetie wasn't feeling as good as she let on, but Rarity had to stay cheerful, for Sweetie Belle.

~~~~~~

Sweetie trudged upstairs and opened the door to her room. She flopped down on her pink bed and screamed into her pillow. She couldn't take any of this! And it was only the first day of her 'new' life (according to Rarity)! She cried for about an hour. When she looked up from her pillow, her eyes wandered, and fell on a photo. It was a picture of her, Applebloom, and Scootaloo drinking milkshakes. Sweetie grew angry. That picture was just a reminder... a reminder of what she used to be. She got up and angrily stormed across her room, up to her closet. She ripped the picture, along with 5 others, off her closet door and threw them in the trash. With her anger sparked, Sweetie angrily went on a rampage in her room. She tore down everything that reminded her of her past life before IT. When she was done, she surveyed her room. The first thought that came to her mind was........ empty. All she had in her room now was an overflowing trash bin, a bright pink bed, and a bare, cream colored nightstand. Sweetie slid down her wall into a crumpled heap on the floor. She sobbed. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, she thought. I. Am. NOTHING!!!! What was I before I met Scootaloo? A scared, frightened, quiet little filly with no friends? That was what she was now at least. Sweetie felt defeated. She had no purpose in life. No-

"Sweetie Belle! Dinner!" Rarity called out from downstairs.

"Coming," Sweetie replied halfheartedly. "Just, just let me wash up." Sweetie made her way to the bathroom and turned on the sink. She washed her hooves, then grabbed a washcloth and set it in the sink. Once it was soaked, she scrubbed her tear-stained face. When she was done, she threw the cloth in her bathtub and hurried downstairs. "I'm here, Rarity."

"Oh good! You're down! Take a seat!"

Sweetie sat down and asked, "How was work?"

"Oh, good. Filthy Rich came by today and picked up his new suit."

"Oh, cool."

"So, how was your day, Sweetie Belle?"

"Good."

"Good, that's all I get?"

"Ummm, we learned.... fractions?"

"Was that a question or a comment?"

"Ummm, comment?"

"Sweetie Belle, you're acting-"

"I'm just tired and..... not hungry," Sweetie explained as she pushed her plate away. "Goodnight Rarity!"

"Goodnight, Sweetie Belle!" Sweetie scurried upstairs and Rarity sighed. She cleaned up the table and put all the dishes in the sink. While she was washing, she wondered why Sweetie was acting weird. As she scrubbed the last plate, she realized something. It was probably school. It WAS her first day back after all, and she probably didn't have a good time. Rarity sighed in relief. Sweetie was just getting over her first day jitters. She would be fine.

~~~~~~

When Sweetie got into her room, she quickly changed into her nightclothes. As she was brushing her teeth, she tried to think of a way to get Rarity off her case. Her sister was already suspicious of her actions, especially now that she had left dinner in such a rush. Before she hopped into bed, she took off her slippers and put them in the closet. Just before she was about to close the closet door, she spotted a glimmer of shiny, gold fabric. She grabbed the fabric and pulled, revealing a red and gold cape with a little pony stitched into it. Sweetie Belle remembered. This was her Cutie Mark Crusader cape! She remembered all the adventures she had had with this on her back. She wondered why it was back here, stuffed in her closet. She laid the cape on her desk and went to bed with happy memories of her adventures with her friends, for the first time in months. When Rarity came in, she saw a peaceful, asleep Sweetie Belle. Rarity smiled. This was the first night in months that Rarity had seen a Sweetie Belle that looked like she was having a good dream. While she was getting ready for bed, Rarity decided that sending Sweetie to school was the right idea. That night was the first night in forever that neither Rarity or Sweetie Belle woke up during the night.

Chapter 4

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Although Sweetie Belle's head was filled with good memories, her situation outside her head wasn't getting any better. She was still bullied at school, and it didn't help that she was seen as an outcast for being so silent. When Sweetie was feeling down, she did something she was not proud of. She remembered that she was better off than Applebloom. Just like Applebloom, she was very depressed when Scootaloo had died. Just like Applebloom, she blamed herself. But, unlike Applebloom, she didn't blame herself to such an extent that she continued cutting herself, even after the article. Applebloom blamed herself the most because she was the one who was bored, and she was the one who brought help too late. Sweetie and Applebloom had been watching Scootaloo try to fly for about an hour. Since she kept failing over and over again, it was getting pretty boring. "Scoots," Applebloom had asked, "I'm kinda bored and ah kinda want to go play on the swings. Do ya mind if I-"

Scootaloo interrupted her, too focused on flapping her wings to care where her friends were. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

"Thanks Scoots!" Sweetie squeaked. She and Applebloom ran off to the swings. "I call it!" Sweetie yelled as she hopped onto the swings.

"Fine, I'll push," Applebloom complained.

~~~~~~

Scootaloo sighed as she flapped her wings, ready for takeoff. She was sad her friends didn't want to watch her fly, or attempt to. They had been watching for at least an hour, she reasoned. She flapped her wings and sprinted across the field. She jumped, and fell. "Oomph!" she grunted. Scoots stumbled as she got up. Her hoof hurt really bad. Scootaloo shook it off. She had to keep trying. She trotted back across the field, ready to run again. Then it hit her. Whenever she practiced with Rainbow Dash, she got height. Scoots looked around, trying to find a stump or something to jump off of. She looked up, and there it was. A cloud. But how to get up to it? It was too high for her to hover up to, and she had no ladder. It provided the perfect height, as long as she didn't fall off. She might seriously hurt herself if she did. But I'll be careful, she thought.

Eventually, she found a way up to the cloud. She had to jump from the bell tower on top of the school onto the cloud. Luckily, Pinkie Pie had shown her the way up awhile ago when Pinkie volunteered to ring the bell at noon. Scootaloo climbed through the broken window the school didn't have the money to fix. Thank goodness they didn't, or Scootaloo might never fly! She winced and looked at her now bruised hoof. "Ugh," she said in disgust as she looked at her black, blue, and now bloody hoof. She tumbled through the window and fell onto her back. "Ow!" She yelled. She was having such bad luck today! First a screwed up hoof, now a screwed up wing! Scootaloo didn't care though. As long as she got onto that cloud, she would be okay. She ran up the stairs in the back of the room up to the tower.

When she got up there, she shimmied around the bell to the front of the school. She didn't want her friends to see her, for they would surely make her get down. She spotted the bell and sighed. The cloud was about five feet farther away from the edge of the tower than she anticipated. If she hovered, though, she could make it. Scootaloo flapped her wings and winced. Her wing hurt so bad! She forced herself to get ready to jump. She had to do this! She might never fly if she didn't. Scootaloo backed up as far as she could and ran. Right when she got to the edge of the tower, she jumped. What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion. Scoots winced again as her hoof slammed onto the edge of the tower. That threw her momentum off. Scootaloo tumbled through the air as she tried to flap her wings. Suddenly, her left wing went limp. She couldn't flap or feel it anymore. She tried flapping her right wing, but it didn't do anything. Scootaloo looked down to see the ground approaching. Then, black. Gone. Nothing. Scootaloo felt, well she DIDN'T feel. It wasn't as if she were oblivious to the world around her. It was as if, she weren't there. Scootaloo could tell she wasn't dead though. She still felt something. As the seconds ticked on, that feeling became more and more vibrant. She also started hearing voices. She couldn't understand most of what they said. She tried to ask, "Am I dead?" But it came out like, "Ungh, uuungh!"

"Dan't murphy mootsloo! Aepleboom go mph olpe!" A mysterious, yet familiar voice said. As she tried to comprehend what the pony was saying, things seemed to get darker and harder to understand. Before things completely blacked out, Scootaloo heard somepony scream, "Scootaloo, just ho-" before everything disappeared, and everything was gone, forever.

~~~~~~

"Scootaloo!" Applebloom cried. She and Sweetie had heard a scream, then a thud. "Scootaloo!" Applebloom gasped when she saw Scoots on the ground. "Wha- what happened?" She knew Scootaloo couldn't answer her, for she was lying on the ground in a heap. Applebloom winced when she saw Scootaloo's bloody, bruised hoof twisted the wrong way. "I'll go get help," Applebloom said as she ran off. Sweetie inspected Scoot's body, looking for more broken bones. Sweetie screamed when she saw Scootaloo's wings. One was twisted and bloody, while the other hung limply at Scootaloo's side.

"Ungh, uuungh!" Sweetie heard Scootaloo moan.

"D- don't worry Scootaloo, A- Applebloom is getting help," Sweetie stuttered. When Applebloom got there, it was already too late. Scootaloo had died in Sweetie Belle's hooves. One look at Scoot's wings made Applebloom cringe, then she started to look faint.

"Applebloom? Are you okay?" the nurse Applebloom had brought, asked. With that, Applebloom fainted into Nurse Redheart's arms.

~~~~~~

Sweetie had waited outside Applebloom's hospital room for hours, waiting for her to wake up. Suddenly, Sweetie heard a screech. She raced inside Appleblooms room, to find her panting. "Applebloom? Are you alright?" Sweetie asked with concern.

"I- I killed Scootaloo. I'm a murderer," Applebloom said as she stared off into space.

"No, no you're not! It..it was an accident Applebloom. There was nothing we could do, honest!" Sweetie Belle tried to reassure her friend. No matter how much Sweetie reassured Applebloom, she couldn't help either of them. They both felt responsible for Scootaloo's death. When Sweetie left the room, she and Applebloom both had tear-stained fur, and Applebloom was muttering, "Punishment, kill, cuts- kill, Scoots, Scoots!" in her sleep. Neither of them slept well that night, or any night for months afterward.

Three days after the death, there was a funeral. Neither of the despairing fillies would have gone, if not for their sisters making them go. They felt responsible for that coffin. Although nopony else noticed, Rainbow glared at them once or twice. Scootaloo was the only family she had had since her parents' death. Rainbow was mad at herself AND the remaining Cutie Mark Crusaders. If she wasn't such bad luck... first her parents, now Scoots. And if those little, those little, idiots had been faster, they could have saved Scoots! Rainbow thought. She was never one to control and take hold of her emotions, and she needed somepony to blame. Everypony had kept telling her she wasn't bad luck, so it had to have been the fillies' fault! Eventually, Rainbow moved back to Cloudsdale to stay with a friend, she said, 'Because I can't stand being here, not able to do anything.'

The funeral made both fillies even more depressed, and eventually, they came to a means of escape, or 'punishment' as they called it. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom had started cutting themselves. Sweetie thought to herself, "It's just a punishment! Like when I used Rarity's fabrics, and she gave me a timeout!" But Sweetie had realized something Applebloom had not. If this was a punishment, then it would eventually have to end. Sweetie had not sat in her timeout chair for eternity, just an hour. Sweetie was planning to stop her cutting, no matter how hard it was. But no matter how hard she tried to give up, she just couldn't stop...until the article.

Everyday, Rarity received the Ponyville Express. One morning, after reading an article, Rarity had rushed over to Applejack's barn, warning Sweetie not to read the Ponyville Express. Sweetie read it anyway, and what she read scared her. It made her feel sad, and it made her stop the cutting. The article was about a 'young filly from Manehatten who had committed suicide.' Sweetie had a feeling she knew who this filly was. Manehatten, filly who was bullied so much she killed herself, Rarity running over to Applejack's were all clues that led to one pony, Bab Seed. Apparently, when Bab had talked to her family about the bullying, they shrugged it off and said, "Just ignore it!" But eventually, it got so bad that Babs committed suicide by jumping out of her window from her 12 story high bedroom. She left a note to her family, explaining why she had to do this.

Dear Family,
I'm sorry I had to leave y'all, but I just had to! Y'all were tellin' me to ignore Sapphire, Ruby, and Emerald, but I just couldn't! It was so hard at school when they're always in my presence. This way, I could really ignore them. Ignore them forever.

That letter and the comments from Bab's family shocked and scared Sweetie so much, she stopped her cutting. Applebloom hadn't been so lucky, and although they both swore that they would be silent, Sweetie know knew the dangers of depression and cutting, so she told Applejack. Applejack was shocked, and she walked right in on Applebloom cutting herself when she thought everypony was asleep. Applejack threatened therapy for Applebloom, but she knew they didn't have they money. Still, Applebloom stopped her cutting, and instead became secluded from her family. She locked herself in her room and didn't speak to anypony. At least Sweetie had been lucky enough to avoid that, or worse. Nopony had heard Applebloom talk for months, and the fillies and colts at school joked that she had lost her voice forever. Although Sweetie WAS better off than Applebloom, and she knew it, she sometimes envied the filly that DIDN'T get teased at school. Or, at least, not to her face. Although Sweetie had no intention of cutting again, she did not know how to get out her sorrow and anger that was bottled up inside her. These feelings she thought she had lost when seeing her old cape. What Sweetie Belle didn't know, was that these bottled up feelings, plus one more she would encounter soon, were the ones that would send her over the edge. Over the edge, in a fight to release them.

Chapter 5

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Sweetie's week kept getting worse and worse. The bullying at school was so bad, it made Sweetie forget all her happy memories, and brought back the bad ones. The fillies and colts at school snickered at her, but it was only Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon who outright made fun of her. They always dissed her, Applebloom, and Scootaloo to Sweetie's face when there weren't any ponies around. The only pony who knew of the bullying was Big Macintosh, and he had enough sense to keep his mouth shut, for Filthy Rich was the pony who brought in most of the Apple's profits. All the other adults saw Diamond and Silver as little angels. Sweetie stayed happy at home though, and so did Rarity. Rarity had been very excited all week, and Sweetie could only ponder why. On a Friday, Rarity finally broke the news to Sweetie Belle at dinner.

"So, Sweetie Belle, I know you've been feeling a lot better since Scootaloo's...... departure from our lives." (She was thinking, Sweetie could take care of herself for a while now, couldn't she? Just like she used to when I went away.) "So, as you know, I have been in a good mood all week, and for a very good reason. I.... am going to design an ENTIRE fashion line for Equestria's top new designer, Fancy Stitches! The reason somepony like HER would want me to design a line is because Photo Finish and Fancy Pants spoke so highly of me at the last art auction in Canter-"

Sweetie Belle tuned her out. Alone? Again? She didn't want to think of that feeling ever again. I'll just say- Sweetie was cut off by Rarity's ramblings. "Of course, it would only be for a week, and this would put my boutique on the map! It would be... hard, I mean, this IS Fancy Stitches we're talking about, but I am just so.... what did Pinkie say...... oh, right. I'm nervouscited." Sweetie Belle couldn't say no now. She didn't want to crush all her sister's hopes and dreams!

"Oh, cool. Yes I'll..... I'll be fine. On my own, alone," Sweetie sighed.

"Wonderful! I'm leaving on Sunday. I better go pack!" Rarity raced upstairs with her horn glowing. Sweetie sighed. Looks like I'm clearing the table, again. After Sweetie finished drying the last plate, she trotted upstairs to her bedroom to get ready for bed. Alone, for a week! It'll be torture! I mean, at least when Rarity IS home, I have a reason to be happy! I'm happy for her, but now...... A week Sweetie, you can do it. You can last a week. Sweetie convinced herself as she hopped into bed. Alone, she muttered before shutting her eyes.

~~~~~~

"Sweetie Belle, I'm leaving!" Rarity called to her little sister. "Don't forget to wash your hooves after every meal!" Sweetie giggled. It was just like her sister to be worried about manners instead of other, more important things. "I'll miss you Sweetie Belle! Be good." With that, Rarity trotted out the door, then happily squealed as she got into the taxi.

She normally wasn't one to gloat, but I'm working for Stitches! I'm working for Stitches! she sang. The taxi driver gave her a funny look, then sighed.

"Why do I always have to get the weird ones?" he growled.

~~~~~~

Sweetie Belle sadly watched her sister go. To her, it wasn't only her sister leaving, but her happiness as well. "Goodbye," she whimpered, although one could not be sure if it was to her sister, or to her happiness.

~~~~~~

Sweetie wasn't looking forward to the next school week. Now that Rarity was gone, there was nothing for Sweetie to be happy for, let alone about. With Rarity there, she put on a smiley face so she didn't dampen her sister's recent happy attitude. She didn't want to bring the weight of sorrow on her only living family. When Sweetie woke up the next morning, she made herself a quick breakfast, brushed her mane and teeth, and threw her saddlebag on top of her as she slammed the door. When she got to school, she quickly looked around, trying to find Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Her eyed widened at the scene she saw. "Move, Fireblaze! That's MY spot you're sitting in!" Diamond Tiara growled.

"No," he replied with some laughing from his friends. Silver Spoon looked as if somepony had risen from the grave, and Diamond was enraged.

"This.Has.Gone.On.To.Long! Get out of my spot! Listen to me, I can RUIN your reputation. Remember," she got up right in his face, "I rule this school."

The colt rolled his dark green eyes and replied sarcastically, "Yes your highness, I will do whatever you want. I serve you, my queen." He bowed down and as quick as a lightning bolt, he brushed his hoof across the grass, and down went Diamond Tiara.

"DT!" screeched Silver Spoon. She rushed to DT's side. "DT? Are....are you dead? DT? DT! Wake up! Please I'll never be popular without you!" Silver clamped a hoof over her mouth, but everypony else had already heard her.

"Really.....?" Fireblaze taunted. "Well, well, well! A wimp without her precious-"

"I'm NOT dead you moron! I just got the wind knocked out of me by........ him." With that, she and her friend flounced off.

"We really got her, Fireblaze! So shouldn't we talk about who we're going to recruit next?" Thunder asked giddily.

"Yup, sure, whatever," Fireblaze responded. He didn't care what his follower had to say, he was watching a dramatic scene unfold in front of him.

"Diamond, leave me alone," Sweetie growled.

"No. I'll have you know, that there, where you're sitting, is my second spot!"

"No it isn't. You've never lost your spot before. Nopony has ever been brave enough to confront you."

"Will you shut up! This is my spot, and you will leave right this minute Sweetie-" Diamond saw a hoof flying at her face. She screeched. "She hit me! She hit me!" All the other ponies gasped. It wasn't surprising she backed down against the Night Rebels, but Sweetie Belle punching her?

"What did my mom put in my drink this morning?" one of the bystanders, Ditzy Do asked her friend, Rosebud.

"I don't know, but it must have been pretty strong for you, for US to be seeing something like this!" Rosebud replied. Sweetie had beat up Diamond pretty good. There was some blood trickling down her mouth that stained her light pink coat. She had a swollen, black and blue eye that was facing the crowd of ponies. Sweetie got up and stared in shock. What had she done? The worst part though wasn't that she had hurt Diamond, it wasn't that she did it intentionally, it was the fact that she had enjoyed it. Sweetie ran off school grounds into the forest nopony ever dared enter for fear of getting lost. Sweetie kept running and running, using her magic to fight off sticks that smacked her in the face. When she reached a clearing, she sat down. As she inspected her body, she noticed many cuts that were now bleeding. Although she thought she deserved them, these cuts were not as satisfying as when she had once cut herself. No, I'm not going back to that, she spat. She sat there for what felt like days (it had only been one hour) when she heard some rustling. It was getting louder. Sweetie looked for a place to hide, but closer inspection led her to the conclusion that she was surrounded by poison ivy, except where the noise was coming from. She scrunched herself into a ball and whimpered until she felt a tap. No, it was more like a light jab, on her shoulder. She uncurled herself, to see the charcoal grey pony Fireblaze looking down at her. He offered a hoof, and she graciously took it. When they were both on their hooves, she asked him a question. "Why?"

"Because, we think you're bold enough. You punched Diamond Tiara, hard. You, Sweetie Belle, have spunk. We, the members of Night Rebel, invite you to join us," he offered solemnly. Sweetie didn't know what to say. She knew that the NR's were NOT a force to be reckoned with. They were a bad group of ponies, and she shouldn't join them. But, this will help you not feel alone! a deep, dark, primitive side of her mind urged.

"You won't feel alone anymore. You'll have a guaranteed spot at our table, friends, secrets. Everything a lonely pony like you could want!" he reasoned. "Plus, no Diamond Tiara to worry about." That got rid of all Sweetie's doubts. With her friends around, she never would have thought about, let alone agreed to join this group. But, that was the past. Her fear of being alone once more clouded her mind. The thick hazy fog made up of her inner protection pushed her common, good judgement farther and farther back in her mind, until it was gone. All Sweetie Belle thought about now was the feeling of being useful, not being bullied anymore! It was just a "yes" away, everything she wanted, dreamed of since Scoot's death. But something was holding her back. Sweetie didn't know what, but the invisible chains wrapped themselves around the fog, trying to be rid of it like it got rid of her sense. The goodness inside her struggled, as did her fear, sorrow, and hopes. It was a battle in her mind, but eventually, she broke free of the chains.

Sweetie stared into Fireblaze's eyes. "I'll do it," she agreed, and with that, the invisible chains were forever gone.

~~~~~~

Sweetie slept well that night. Without all her chains, the ones that held her back from happiness, she had no regrets. The next day, she met Fireblaze outside the classroom, but not before running into Diamond Tiara. "Well, well, well! Look who we have here! Little Miss Thinks-She's-A-Fighter! Ha! You're so weak, you don't even have your cutie mark," she taunted. Before she could get out another one of her 'lame taunts' (according to Fireblaze) she was pushed from behind. "Hey!" she screeched, but silenced herself when she saw Fireblaze's face.

"Don't bother her. At all," he spat. Diamond nodded her head until Sweetie was sure she had turned into a bobblehead. She walked away with Fireblaze and he said, "See?" She nodded. "Now, before your test, you should meet everypony else." He and Sweetie walked up to a group of ponies. "Sweetie, this is Thunder, Moonwhisper, and Koly." Sweetie Belle looked at all of them. Thunder looked big and mean, the kind of pony she avo- used to avoid. He had a short, fiery red mane, just like his attitude.

"Hey," he grunted. Sweetie then looked to the next pony. Moonwhisper stood tall, as if trying to impress Sweetie Belle. Her royal blue mane swished in the wind. Her royal blue eyes were glued to Sweetie. She nodded, and Sweetie took that as a sign to move on the the last pony. Koly was the least threatening looking of the bunch. She was a bit smaller than everypony else, and she looked like a ray of sunshine, not a Night Rebel.

Fireblaze read her mind once more and said, "Koly is one of the most talented unicorns I have ever met. She knows most, if not all, the kinds of magic that Princess Twilight Sparkle knew at her age." Sweetie almost gasped. This was one talented unicorn! "Now, for your test," Fireblaze said, his voice like ice. "You must cut school today and do everything we tell you. If you do it without fail, you're in. Remember, whatever trouble you get into, it is your problem. Don't drag the entire group down with you." He gave her an icy glare. "If you do, you're out in the cold once more." Sweetie could only nod her head. She flt as if every part of her body was frozen. "Time to go," Fireblaze said as he and everypony else slipped into the shadows of the trees.

~~~~~~

Now, I want you to steal that apple from that vendor. Fire's words repeated in Sweetie's head over and over. She stealthily made her way over to the stand, planning her crime. Luckily, the pony wasn't anypony she knew, so she wouldn't recognize her. Walk over, take an apple from the back of the cart, walk away as if nothing happened into the alley down the street, and present the apple. Sweetie thought. Her plan was foolproof, hopefully. One valuable thing Fireblaze had taught her was to never gallop away like a scared filly. Why would anypony but a criminal run away from the crime scene? Sweetie carefully surrounded the ripest, reddest apple on the cart with her magic. She floated it from the cart to her and tucked it into her saddlebags. She didn't look around, not wanting to seem like a thief, but she couldn't help it. She swiveled her head around to find nopony looking at her. She sighed and walked away. When she entered the alley, she looked behind herself one more time before dropping the apple at Fireblaze's hooves.

"Good job. Now for the next part of your test," the leader praised. He rose to his hooves. "You will spray paint that fence over there." Sweetie accepted the cans he held out with no hesitation. She looked around her, then trotted to the fence. The closest pony was right down the street, and he wasn't looking at her. She quickly shook the purple paint can, and opened the lid with a pop. She sprayed random messages on the fence, then scurried away. When she arrived at the alley, Fireblaze nodded. "You have passed part one by demonstrating that you can remain calm during an act. You passed part two by showing that you can be brave when you committed an act of crime in front of other ponies. Now, for part three." Fireblaze explained the plan to her. She nodded, taking it all in. Unlike her other tests, this one was to be completed at night with everypony in the group. Sweetie's part was the most dangerous, but she had to prove herself.

"Ready," she stated fiercely, with determination in her eyes. She would prove that she was worth something. She would prove that she was a different filly now, a strong one. Not the weakling from right after Scootaloo's death. She didn't want to admit it, but the biggest reason she was ready, was that she couldn't be rid of her feelings on her own.

Fireblaze
Thunder
Moonwhisper
Koly
You're welcome! :)

Chapter 6

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Sweetie Belle went over the plan in her head for the sixth time. She couldn't mess this up or she would lose the rebels. They were the only ones she had had for months! I can't let that go, Sweetie Belle concluded. Just like before, her fear blinded her common sense, the little common sense she had, at least. She was lucky Rarity wasn't there, or she wouldn't be able to go and prove herself. It seemed like days before it was finally time to meet at the alley. Sweetie Belle was the third one to arrive. Fireblaze, Moonwhisper, and Koly had arrived there before her. They stared at her solemnly. She knew, deep in the depths of her mind, that what they were doing was wrong, and they knew it too. "It is to prove you're loyal," Fireblaze answered as if he had read her thoughts. In reality though, he knew that frightened, yet knowing look that had flashed across her face. It happened to everypony, even Thunder. But not Koly, he thought, remembering her trial. She was small, not intimidating, and was mostly optimistic and talkative. Fireblaze would have refused her membership the minute he saw her, if not for what she did. Each rebel had shown him acts of bravery, self-confidence and slyness that he had approved of. Thunder was big, brave, and not afraid to show somepony up. He kept his mouth shut when necessary though, so that made him a prime candidate. Moonwhisper was tough, and very talented in the art of deception and cons, which Fireblaze admired. She was also a key pony in their group. Koly, on the other hand, was not good with other ponies and intimidation. No, Koly was sly and could get away from any situation unnoticed. In other words, she was the pony who led the stakeouts. She was the spy, and a very good one at that. She didn't always keep her mouth shut, and if it wasn't for her alerting them that the police ponies had arrived during her trial, then they would have been dead meat. Fireblaze, or FB as he was known by the other rebels, was in a situation like Sweetie Belle's, and look where he was at. He knew that he wasn't in a good place in life, but he had friends, ponies either feared or admired him, and he was a leader. It was all he ever wanted since Sis's death. That was why he had taken her in. No matter how tonight went, he wanted her in the group. If she wasn't good enough, then they would have to shape her up. He knew what it felt like to be in her boat, and he didn't want anypony to feel that way.

He did know that this wasn't good for a kind mare like her. He never would have wanted to see her life like this, but who else was going to take her in? Adults sure didn't help kids with troubled pasts, or troubled lives. That's for sure. He and the other rebels agreed that they would never rely on an adult because they didn't get it. All the rebels had hit a bump in their lives at some point in time, and here, they could leave it all behind. Well, MOST of the rebels. Surprisingly, Fireblaze was the most reluctant to let his past go, and it didn't help that he carried the weight of the group. While some ponies had experienced deaths, just wound up in the wrong place, or ran away from home, FB had experienced even worse.

He grew up with his mother, father, and sister, Raspberry. His mother never really cared for him and Raspberry, and his father was an addict. When his mother got pregnant with his would-have-been baby brother Bolt, she fled the house and never came back. Fireblaze's father took his anger out on him and his sister. Over the years, they were bruised, beaten, and starved. Their father blew most of his money on alcohol, and eventually showed up to work drunk. He was fired shortly after he dropped a box of expensive plates (he worked as a mail carrier at Heavy Lifter's Mail & Shipping Co.). With no steady income and what little money they had left being spent on alcohol, the sister and brother went hungry most days. The siblings made a little bit of money on their own by completing odd jobs for neighbors, but it was never enough. Their father became angry and even more abusive when he started losing at gambling and didn't have enough money for alcohol.

The two finally left to live on the streets when the beating became so bad, his father picked up his sister with his magic, and slammed her into the floor. The two ran far, far away trying to escape their father. They hopped trains and went to church services for food. Some days they went hungry, but at least they had each other. When the train passed Hoover Cliff, Raspberry got very sick. Fireblaze couldn't make enough money to buy her medicine, and after three long, painful months, Raspberry died. It was a quiet death since she passed away when she was asleep. Fireblaze had felt incomplete without her. His whole life, they protected each other and now, he was alone. He wandered the train tracks until he reached a fork in them. Debating with himself, he finally decided to turn right. He walked, and walked, and eventually, found himself in a small town. He came upon a sign that said;

Ponyville
A Place Where All Kinds of Ponies Come Together

Although he didn't want to get his hopes up, he thought that this might be the place where he could have a home and start over. He wandered and observed the town. He was in what he thought was the town square because it was surrounded by many little shops and houses. In the center was a large building labeled 'Town Hall'. He nervously trotted around and past the square. He was unsure if a colt his age would normally be out and about like this. Fireblaze cut through the cluster of buildings and emerged in an open area with a large, lit up tree. He didn't know what it was, but he felt something that seemed homely and warm, which pulled him in towards the tree. He suddenly found himself knocking on the door, only to look up and hit his head on a sign. He backed up and yelled, "Ow!" as he clutched his head with his hoof. He cursed, "Ponyfeathers." and looked at the sign that had hit him. It read, 'Ponyville Library'. A library, he thought. He felt so stupid! He knocked on the door of a li- His rant was interrupted by the creaking of the library's door.

"Are you sure you heard a knock, Pinkie?" a sweet, soft voice asked. Although she sounded nice, Fireblaze wasn't taking an chances. He frantically inspected the clearing, searching for a place to hide. He spotted a clump of bushes and dived into them. He breathed quietly. If there was one thing he was good at, it was breathing almost silently. It was a lesson he had learned when he was just a little colt. Once, when he was hiding from his father, he was nervous, so he breathed too loudly. His father came into his room and opened up his closet.

"There you are," he growled as he grabbed Fireblaze out of the closet. "Tried to hide from me, 'eh? I guess I won our little game." He smirked as he punched Fireblaze in the rib. From then on, Fireblaze learned to control his emotions and breathe quietly. He was brought back into reality by a voice that was different from the first one. "I'm sure Twily! And everypony knows this is an open library and they don't have to knock......." The mysterious pony Fireblaze thought was Pinkie paused. "Unless they're a new pony!" she yelled triumphantly.

"Riiiight," the other pony FB thought was Twily replied with more than a hint of skepticism and sarcasm in her voice. Pinkie didn't seem to notice though.

"I'm sure, Twilight," Pinkie growled. Twily flinched. "Besides, I have a twitchy tail, my left ear is floppy, my back right hind leg feels tingly, AND my tummy just rumbled." Pinkie concluded. Twily looked fazed. She quickly shook her head.

"And that means what exactly?" Fireblaze wasn't sure what that could mean. To him, that meant that she was probably having tail spasms and her ear was having a spasm also. Her hind leg was probably just feeling asleep, and she was hungry.

"Well, the first three mean that there's a pony hiding within 10 feet of me, and the last one means that I'm hungry!" The pink pony grinned. "Well, I'm off Twi! I've gotta meet Spike at Sugarcube," Pinkie gasped, "in ten minutes!" She was off like a bullet. Twily, or, Twi, (Fireblaze wasn't really sure), sighed. The look on her face suggested she had faced Pinkie's antics before. She nosed around a bit, but not once did she come near the bushes. When she finally gave up and went inside, FB sighed in relief. If she found somepony like him lurking around..... who knows what would happen? Fireblaze arose shakily from the bush. His stomach growled. He had to get some food, but where? Fireblaze had taken what bits he had made that week, along with his sister's bits. He was sure she wouldn't mind. He strolled through the town, looking every which way. Unlike his home Las Pegasus, the streets were not filled with vendors. The only cart to be found was one selling daisies. Fireblaze didn't like to eat daisies without the bread though, so he didn't stop. Finally, after thirty minutes of searching, he came upon an apple cart filled to the brim with apples, apple tarts, apple pies, and apple fritters.

"Hey there," the vendor pony greeted, causing Fireblaze to jump. "Sorry, didn't mean to get y'all riled up! Now, what'd you like?" Fireblaze stared at the assortment of fruit in front of him. He couldn't spend much here, for fear of losing all his bits. Eventually, he decided on the cheapest thing.

"I'll take a cider with an apple fritter," he ordered. The orange mare looked at him in surprise, then suspicion.

"Are y'all sure ya wanna buy ah drink like that? Surely ah young'in like you shouldn't be 'drinkin the hard stuff like-" The mare was cut off by a large stallion.

"Trouble at the orchard. The animals-" the stallion paused and glanced at Fireblaze. "A customer can wait at ah time like this, can't it sis?" the red stallion questioned.

"Ah... ah guess Big Macintosh. Y'all get your apple stuff and go," she sternly ordered. "Now we should go." She and Big Macintosh galloped off. Fireblaze took his fritter and apple cider. He put the bits he owed on the table. Before he turned around, however, he questioned if the mare would notice one apple missing. Fireblaze pondered this and concluded with,'She knows my face too well.' After that, he took off into the sky. As he finished off his fritter, he felt something swoop by. He looked up to see the tail of a blue pony. He wondered who she was. When she flew to the ground, Fireblaze caught a glimpse of the most beautiful mare he had ever seen. Four ponies sat in a balloon. The first was a full grown mare. She had a white coat and a purple mane. The other three were fillies. One had beautiful purple and pink curly hair. Another had the most adorable bow. The last though,was the most stunning. She had the most determined look on her face. She put her orange hooves on the edge of the balloon, tilting it this way and that.

"Scootaloo, watch it! Y'all are gonna tip it!" The one with the bow scolded. The orange mare sighed and put her hooves back inside the balloon. Fireblaze sighed. Now, he would never see those beautiful purple ey- Fireblaze looked up to see an orange body getting closer. It was the mare! She was trying to flap her wings, it seemed, but she couldn't get herself to fly. Fireblaze's instinct told him to fly up and catch her, and he did. He slowly fluttered back onto the cloud and set her down. He sat there, expecting a hug, at least a thank you. But all he got was the face of a very angry filly.

"I almost had it! But you... you! she growled. Her eyes stared daggers into him. She was raging. "You, you messed up my flight! Rainbow Dash said don't let anypony get in your way! And look who got in my way!" she screeched.

"Now, Scoots! Why are you being so mean? That poor co-" The orange filly turned around and glared at the white one. She shrunk back and finally disappeared into the basket. "That was it! I felt it, and you ruined it! All I ever wanted is gone. Now I will never be able to fly. Hope your happy! You.... you monster!" The filly stormed off the cloud, and seemed to not have learned her lesson. She gave a short, curt flap of her wings and bounced off the cloud. Luckily, it wasn't much of a drop, so she fluttered safely to the ground. Fireblaze got up and put a hoof over his throbbing head. Although clouds were mostly soft, he hit his head on the pony-made rain capsule which held all the rain. It couldn't be seen through the cloud's fluffy exterior, but it was made entirely of metal. The balloon floated down to him. The older mare poked her head out.

"I'm so sorry, darling! Scootaloo, well, her idol and sister is becoming a Wonderbolt today, and Scootaloo wanted to impress her." The balloon floated closer. Out poked another two heads. The bowed one, and Sweetie Belle. Wait, Sweetie Belle?! Fireblaze thought. So that's what I recognize her from. So, the white mare must have been her sister that she told me about, and the pegasus.... must have been the one that..... died. Fireblaze finally realized. That determined little mare must have been the filly who had died that caused Sweetie Belle so much pain. After coming to this conclusion, Fireblaze stared of into space once more, until slipping back into memory lane once more. "Her sister only had time to see one trick or else she would be late. We all thought poor Scootaloo would fall, so we prepared a cloud trampoline where she would land. It seems," the unicorn sighed, "that she was too anxious to get going. Again, I'm so sorry darling!" Th mare looked at him pitifully. One of the little mares spoke.

"Ya, sorry! Y'all just witnessed what ah like to call 'Scoot's Moody Rainbow Loving and Wants to Impress Her and Anypony Who Gets in Her Way Will Pay' side." Both unicorns and Fireblaze stared at her in confusion. "It happens, yah know," she grunted before marching to the back of the basket. After some more apologies and goodbyes, The balloon started floating down to the ground. Fireblaze was dazed. Never in his ten years of existing had he encountered something like that. Realizing it was getting dark, Fireblaze rose to his hooves and stretched his wings. He flew up and scanned around for a place to sleep for the night. He narrowed his choices down to two places. The abandoned-looking alley next to an over-sized gingerbread house, or the fluffy looking cloud to the right of him. Fireblaze chose the cloud. Using the last of his strength, he pushed two other fairly small clouds next to his chosen cloud. After much work, he finally pulled one last cloud over his structure. Before him sat a slightly tilted cloud structure that looked like it would collapse any minute. He nodded his head. Perfect, he thought. Fireblaze yawned when he reached his cloud hut. He curled into a ball and yawned once more. Then, he fell asleep.

The next morning, he woke up hungry. That one word described most of his week, actually. After spending his last bit on dinner during day 5, he finally faced reality. He would have to start stealing. It was something he did to get by in Las Pegasus a lot, but it was different here. There, with the amount of bits he had, he couldn't even buy two meals. Here, if he could just find a job, he would be able to have two meals a day. Until he got one though, he would have to steal. He went to bed that night planning to steal an apple for breakfast from that orange mare. He would just have to find the cart again. He made his plan in his mind before allowing himself to rest.

~~~~~~

"Ugh, my head," Fireblaze groaned as he sat up in his makeshift hut. He had mistakenly placed his head on the rain carrier that night and now had a sore head. What was more painful than his head though, was his stomach. He had been eating good for a couple of days, and he had gotten used to that luxury. He bathed in a nearby pond before setting off to where he thought was the apple stand. Luckily, he was correct. Also luckily, the orange mare was arguing with another pony far away. If he was quick, he could steal the juicy apple right off the top. He crept closer, careful not to be too fast or slow. When he swiped the apple, he casually walked away. But, not before she spotted him.

"Hey! You! Ya, you that's ah 'walkin away from mah cart! Get over here!" the orange mare ordered. Fireblaze obediently trotted up, trying to look as innocent as possible. "What do yah have behind your back?" she questioned. Sweat began to gather on Fireblaze's brow. The lying and excuses had always been his sister's thing. He wasn't an actor!

He tried not to look suspicious. "Um, nothing..... Just, uh, walking by! See?" He giggled nervously while hiding the apple in his saddlebags. "Just walking." He demonstrated by pacing back and forth in front of the mare.

"Ah, I see," she replied sarcastically. "Now, what was that that y'all stuffed into your saddlebags not one minute ago?" Fireblaze sighed. She obviously saw right through him, and pushing his innocence on her would only make his case worse. But he was so hungry!

"Just, uh, my extra saddle strap! Just in case it breaks." His voice squeaked as he said that last word. He was planning to make a run for it, when the mare started talking again.

"Little colt, I'm the Element of Honesty, and ah can tell when a pony is lying." But Fireblaze was already off. "Get back here you little varmint!" the mare yelled, but he ignored her. Behind him, some commotion was going on, but he didn't turn around. Suddenly, he was swooped out of the air by a blue pony. It was the same one from earlier! Guess she didn't leave early, Fireblaze snorted.

The pony looked down at him and said, "You're lucky I'm not going to drop you out of the sky for stealing my best friend's apples."

Fireblaze gulped and said weakly, "W- what makes you think I took your friend's apple?" She glared at him, then stole a glance at his saddlebag.

"What's that bulge in there?" she questioned. Before he could reply, she had opened up his saddlebag and was snooping through it.

"Hey, you have no right t-"

"Found it! You little thief!" The mare pulled out a bright red apple.

"What makes you think I didn't buy that?"

"Applejack doesn't start selling for one hour! I know you stole it!" She set him down and he glared at her.

"What makes you think I didn't get it from somepony else?"

The mare placed him down and snorted. "I know you stole this because Applejack is the only pony in town with an apple farm, and the grocery store is locked." She looked at him with a look of triumph. "Now, lets get you over to the 'buckin police station. I've got work to do." She lugged him all the way down the street toward a large, navy building. When they got inside, she shouted, "Hey, Whooves? You here? I've got a case for you."

After a little while, the pair heard a, "Wait just a minute, Rainbow Dash!" Suddenly, a brown-coated pony with a brown mane and blue eyes stumbled in front of them. "What do you have for me today, Dashie?" He glanced down at Fireblaze and sighed. "What did he do?"

"He stole an apple from Applejack!" Rainbow looked at him angrily. The policepony rolled his eyes. He glanced down at Fireblaze and seemed to wonder if he was worth his time.

He finally replied with, "I'm very busy today, Rainbow. I'm not sure if I have time fo-" The pegasus cut him off.

"You're never busy! There is never THAT much crime here in Ponyville! You can finally have some action!"

"Action," Whooves grunted, "right. Like one stolen apple will bring me action! You know what..... why don't we talk about this in my office." He pointed a hoof towards a brown, wooden door. "You stay out here," he said sternly to Fireblaze. The two trotted toward the door, arguing all the way. "I just don't think one apple matters that much! If it was a cartload of 'em, yes."

"But Whooves, he stole it! Who knows how many other things he's-" The door slammed shut behind them. Fireblaze sat on the floor awkwardly, before finally hopping onto a chair. His stomach growled. Fireblaze reached for the apple, only to realize that Rainbow Dash had put it on the desk in the front room. The desk was very high,, and he had to stand on a chair to get the apple. If this was 100 bits, he wouldn't be grabbing them. But like the policepony said, it was just one apple! Fireblaze snagged the apple off the desk and flopped onto a chair. He bit into it. It was so juicy! He took another bite, then another, then another. He took bites until only the core was left. He smiled contently. He waited, but his stomach didn't growl. He almost leaped up in triumph, but then he heard a door being opened. He quickly disposed of the apple core in a trash can next to the desk. He scrambled to a chair and sat in it just as the two ponies were upon him. He smiled innocently, knowing he was being too happy.

"You, um, what's your name?" the male asked.

"Fireblaze," Fireblaze replied.

"Yes, um, Fireblaze, you have been accused of stealing one," he glared at Dashie, "apple. Do you admit to this 'crime'? "He heavily coated the word 'crime' in sarcasm.

Fireblaze knew better than to lie. It was likely, if they let him go, that he would keep stealing. If he got caught again, he would have a record. Before he could 'fess up, however, the orange farm pony burst through the door shouting, "That darned colt! Ah should have him wrung out like a-" She awkwardly paused at mid-sentence when the trio came in sight. She nervously tilted her hat. "Hi, Dr. Whooves! Ah see you have this little... thief in custody?"

Dr. Whooves looked shocked. "No, I don't have him in 'custody', Mrs. Apple. I am merely questioning him!"

"Well, hurry up and put him in jail already! Caramel is 'waitin for me back at the farm."

"Yes, yes. Now, Fireblaze, did you commit this crime?" After the confession, a few swear words, and many accusing glances later, the rest of the hour turned into a blur of questions. Fireblaze was never one for lying, or keeping secrets, and by the end of the hour he had admitted to being homeless, abused, and that he had stolen. He did not say, though, who anypony in his family was, where he used to live, or how he had gotten to Ponyville. "Probably hopped the trains," Dr. Whooves explained to the mares. "Lots of troubled foals do it, sadly." He looked at Fireblaze pitifully. "Here in Ponyville, we have our laws, and here in Ponyville, stealing is wrong. I have talked with Rainbow, and we agreed. You have the choice to either go to jail, or live here in Ponyville Orphanage. If you choose jail, you will spend time for one month. Then, you will be sent to juvenile delinquent hall. If you choose the orphanage, you will live there, go to school, and live a normal life. If you try to run away, we will catch you." His suspenseful pause caused Fireblaze to shiver. "It is your choice." The orange mare and the policepony both looked at him, but the rainbow one tried to speak up.

"But I thought we agreed on-" The doctor silenced her with a wave of his hoof. She was quiet, but she scrunched up he eyes and put a frown on her face. Fireblaze contemplated his options. Go to jail, and live in a juvenile delinquent hall his whole life, or go to an orphanage. He thought, and thought,until finally, he decided.

"I want to go to the orphanage," he said quietly. He knew that he was throwing away his life by doing this, but he would be more comfortable in a bed then a metal cell. Both mares mumbled under their breath, probably complaining that he wouldn't get punished.

Dr. Whooves whacked his hoof on his desk like a gavel. "Case closed. Sentence: Go live in Ponyville Orphanage until you turn sixteen." Both mares sighed and nodded their heads. The 'judge' looked at him. He nodded his head as well.

~~~~~~

When he first arrived, things didn't go well. The other orphans ganged up on him. He guessed that they were the bullies, but he had more power in one punch than they had in their whole bodies. They teased him, and when the biggest one threw a punch at his muzzle, he easily blocked it and punched the yellow colt right back. The trio was stunned. Nopony had ever stood up to them before. They were so surprised, that they backed away from him and never bothered him again. As much as he liked being not bullied, Fireblaze felt alone. All the other kids had little groups, and he was an outcast. All the orphans were scared of him, and would only sit near him if they had to. He lived as an outcast for a year, and every second he spent at the orphanage, at school, and out on the playground was spent wishing his sister, the only pony he had ever had, was there with him. She was his protection, the light in the lighthouse that always guided him. With that light turned off, he wasn't only thinking he was lost, he was lost. Unlike a ship, however, that morning light never came to guide his path, until one fateful day.

He had taken his tray and sat down on a bench one Saturday for lunch. As usual, everypony on the bench scattered when he neared it. He sighed and sat down. He liked school more than weekends, for it gave him something to do. On the swings, there was nopony to push him. On the seesaw, nopony was on the other side. At school, he worked alone and he didn't need anypony else. It was just him, and Raspberry. She was always good at math, which he was bad at. Whenever he did math, he imagined her right next to him, helping him. On the playground, there was no mare forcing him to go play. He was content with his books. He was never a reader, but now he felt the rustle of the pages comforting. The books took him into another world. He pulled out his book and started reading, but the big crowd of ponies interested him. If he didn't see the bullies, Yellow Wing, Icecarve, and Feather Dust enter the circle, he would have stayed put. But there they were, walking into the circle with large smirks. Fireblaze put his book down and fluttered over. Nopony noticed him. He stayed in back, but couldn't see anything. Finally, he flew up and watched the scene unfold from above.

The trio of colts circled a new pony, like they always did. They taunted the new mare, like they always did. At first, she hid behind her mane and averted her navy blue eyes, which were the same color of her mane. Fireblaze rolled his eyes. Just another new kid being picked on by the Three Stooges. But what had drawn this crowd? Fireblaze started listening to the taunting. The new mare had finally come out from under her mane. Yellow Wing tried to taunt her, but she just looked at him angrily. She talked back to him and said something Fireblaze didn't catch, but it was bold enough to make the crowd gasp and Yellow Wing step back, only to get right up in her face. "Listen, you. Don't talk back to me, alright? Or I'll do something like..... this!" He swung a hoof at her, expecting to hit her, but his hoof only swiped air. "Huh?" he yelled, confused. "You get the buck over here or I'll- oomph!" He was kicked hard in the side by the new girl. She stood over him and glared as the crowd watched in sheer shock.

"Don't mess with me. I don't have the time to deal with somepony like you," she spat and trotted off. The crowd's eyes were wide as Yellow Wing struggled to get up. When he fell back down again, they started whispering. Fireblaze heard snips of their conversations.

"How many new kidth are going to thtand up to thethe two, Tootsie Flute?? Jeez, they jutht keep coming!" One little filly with a red mane and candy cane cutie mark whispered urgently to her friend.

"I don't know, but it's sure getting out of hand!" her friend replied with a swish of her purple mane. Fireblaze was as surprised as these two. Even though he was in shock, his mind was reeling with thoughts about this new pony. This pony was like him. Not taking any of the crap these stupid bullies thought they dished out. He didn't have time for them, and he preferred to keep it that way, like her. Plus, he was lonely.

That night, he devised his plan to make her his friend. He went over it in his head so many times, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He didn't stop thinking about it until another colt in the same room as him yelled, "Shut up, I'm trying to sleep!" Fireblaze hadn't realized until then that he was mumbling. After one more run through of the plan, he shut his eyes, whispered, "Goodnight, Raspberry," and fell asleep.

~~~~~~

When he woke up, he yawned. Fireblaze rubbed his eyes and stumbled out of bed. Suddenly, he recalled that night. His plan! He would see her at breakfast. When he arrived at the mess hall that morning, however, she wasn't there. All day, he tried to find her, but she was nowhere to be found. Discouraged, he went to sleep, dreaming of the next day. When he woke up, he quickly got out of bed and ran to the mess hall. Sadly, she wasn't there. She didn't arrive at school that morning either. All week, she was absent from everything, and that only made Fireblaze more and more discouraged. That night at dinner, he listened to the girls that were at the other end of the table. "Yes, the new girl, Moonwhisper, she's been sick ALL week," the one Fireblaze recognized as Ditsy Doo said.

"Ath if! I think sheth jutht too thcared after her confrontation with the trio," the pony Fireblaze now knew as Twist retorted. He stopped listening after that. He knew what he needed to know. For two more days, he anticipated the day Moonwhisper would sneeze her last sneeze. Finally, after one week, she was better. Now, he would no longer be alone. After a restless night, morning finally came. Fireblaze couldn't wait until breakfast, when he would finally have somepony to sit with. He raced down the stairs that went from his dorm to the mess hall. Finally, he arrived.

He scanned the room, looking for Moonwhisper. Finally, he spotted her sitting alone at one of the tables. After grabbing his tray, he trotted up to her. "Hey," he said as he sat down next to her.

"What do you want?" she asked. "I thought I told you to leave me alone."

Her sharpness stunned Fireblaze for a moment, but he quickly regained his friendliness. "I... uh, I'm not one of Yellow Wing's goonies. I just thought, you might be feeling alone. I mean, you're the second pony to beat him at his own game. You've got guts."

"Right.... alone. Who said I felt alone? I never felt alone! I'm a fre-" she stopped right there. All was silent between the two outcasts. "H- how could you know how I feel?"

"I feel it too. I've also been an outcast here. I- I've felt alone. I didn't take any of Yellow Wing's crap, so I beat him up. I just wanted to be... alone. I realize now that that was a bad decision."

"I didn't think, anypony else understood. After Mom died, I had nopony. I imagined she was always here with me, but it wasn't the same." Fireblaze was surprised how similar her back story was to his. From that day on, the two were friends. They always looked out for new kids who felt like they did. It wasn't easy, but they spotted a few.

About a month after the two foals became friends, they met another boy, Thunder, who was alone like them. He had no siblings, and his mother and father were addicts. They became know as the Rebels, because they were constantly doing bad things. Little did the other kids know, they were doing this to get out their anger. Together, they had a strong bond. They soon met Koly, who was taken into their group. Shortly after, they changed their name to what Sweetie Belle knew it as. Then along came Sweetie Belle. Fireblaze had heard her story, and he wanted to give her a chance. He had her do all the stealing and things so she could prove she wouldn't leave them alone. She had to prove her loyalty.

Fireblaze drifted in and out of his memories as they waited for Thunder. Now, after reliving his pain, all his doubts about making Sweetie Belle a worse mare were gone. She needed them. Just like everypony else. The memories stopped as soon as Thunder arrived. "Now we can start," Thunder said stiffly. He briefly went over the plan once more, then the hoof signals. After that, he said, "Go." All five ponies spread out to do their jobs. Thunder and Fireblaze kept watch, while Moonwhisper picked the lock. When she was done, she dived into a bush and kept watch. Sweetie and Koly entered the house. They started searching for the object Fireblaze had said to steal. He described it as a pastel yellow decoration egg that should be sitting on a coffee table. Finally, after 10 minutes of searching, Sweetie finally found the egg. She almost yelled out to Koly, but then remembered the hand signals. She perfrmed the correct signal, and Koly nodded her head. Both ponies snuck out the door, then latched it tight. After presenting the egg, Fireblaze nodded.

He took it from her, then slipped it into his saddlebag. In the middle of his move out signal, Koly's head became stiff. Everypony froze. Koly's head remained cocked to one side, until she made the signal for 'the cops are coming, spread out.' Everypony did exactly as the signal said. As they started to split up, the wailing of the police car became closer, until it sounded like it was right around the corner. Sweetie Belle froze in fear. Everypony else was running away, but she couldn't get her hooves to move. It was as if they were frozen in ice. Sweetie Belle started sweating, she didn't want to get caught! She slowly eased her way into an alley and wiped her brow with her hoof. She let out a content, "Phew." She had made it. She turned around, ready to head back to the meeting spot, but she froze. Everything was silent, It was as if the world was paused. Sweetie's breath quickened. She felt as if something was closing in on her. She heard barking. Suddenly, there was a blinding light in her face.

"Freeze," said another pony. The last thing Sweetie Belle heard was a scream, before it all went black.

Chapter 7

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"She's waking up, Dr. Whooves," a mysterious voice said. At least, that's what Sweetie Belle thought the voice said. To her, it sounded like, "Se's lasing cup, chister pooves." Sweetie blinked her eyes and groaned. When her vision finally cleared, she sat up. She looked around her, trying to figure out where she was. Behind and to both sides of her were concrete grey walls. In front of her were some metal bars of some sort, separating her from two ponies. After a minute or two, she finally realized where she was. At first she was confused. Why was she here? Why did Rarity allow her to- Then Sweetie remembered it all. Rarity had left so she went along with the rebel's plan. It went off without a hitch, and just as they were about to make their getaway, everything went black. Sweetie blinked, trying to figure out why she had fainted. Before she could begin thinking, however, a large brown stallion Sweetie recognized as Dr. Whooves cleared his throat.

"Sweetie Belle, what were you doing last night?" he asked, looking at her sternly.

"Um, I...uh.." Sweetie wasn't sure how to answer this. She didn't want to tell him, for that would be breaking the rebels' trust! But she didn't have a lie ready. Even if she had one, she probably wouldn't be able to pull it off. She was a terrible liar. In the past, Scootaloo had always been the one to lie to the adults when they got into trouble. Sweetie's memories of the day came flooding back to her. Her and Applebloom playing on the swings. The laughter that got cut short by a scream. The body. The sound of hooves coming closer, only to stop abruptly when they saw her and Scoots. Sweetie Belle realized something. If it hadn't been for Scootaloo and her determination, she wouldn't be here! I... I can't blame her! Sweetie thought, unable to bring herself to that conclusion. Sweetie tried to find somepony to blame, coming up short. Rainbow Dash? No. Scoot's parents? No. Scoots herself? No!

After trying out many names, Sweetie finally found the mare to blame. Me? Yes. Then she broke out crying. It was all her fault. Not the death, not the inability to save her best friend. None of the stuff she had blamed herself for. It was her fault she was in this position right now. She had told herself that nopony could help her because they didn't get it. She shunned away the world. The only time she opened up, was when she thought somepony was trying to help her without touching her wound. They said she would get better, that she would heal. And she believed them. She said that time could heal her wound. She was wrong. All the ponies who tried to touch the wound were trying to help her. They were trying to get rid of the wound. If she had just talked to them, she would have been better off. But no, her feelings and sorrow blinded her. She buried her feelings, instead of painfully getting rid of them. But now, I can get rid of them, she thought.

She could talk to ponies! She could let them heal her wound. Now though, because she let it stay there long, it was going to be very painful. Now, she had a story to tell. The tears that had formed on the rims of her eyes were starting to disappear. She sniffed. "Would you like to tell us what happened, Sweetie Belle?" the other pony asked. Sweetie nodded her head, then shook it vigorously. She wanted to wait until Rarity got there. Might as well heal the wound all at one time. "I have already called Rarity, Sweetie. She should be here any minute." The white mare smiled. Sweetie sniffled in reply, and rested her head on the back of the chair. It took Sweetie a little while to realize she wasn't in the cell anymore. She shrugged to herself. Anywhere was better than there. Suddenly, a white mare burst in the door.

"I came as fast as I could!" she yelled, spotting Sweetie and the two other ponies. "What, my dear, have you been wrongly accused of?" She threw a menacing glare at the doctor.

"Actually, Miss Rarity, she did co-"

"SILENCE! How DARE you accuse my little sister of breaking the law! She would never do that!" Rarity faltered, then looked at her sister with big eyes. "Right?" Sweetie looked at the ground with a guilty expression on her face.

"Um, I kinda did break the law..." Sweetie mumbled.

"WHAT?! What did you do? You, I mean.... my sister? Sweetie," Rarity put big emphasis on the word 'sweet', "Belle did something wrong?" Rarity was baffled. "I guess names don't really matter." Rarity looked deep in thought, then she shook her head. "Whatever did you do to end up in jail Sweetie?" Rarity asked. She had gotten over her shock, and was now acting very stern.

"Um, well.... you better sit down, this one's a long one." All the adults in the room took a seat. "Um, it kinda started right after Scoot's death." Sweetie then launched into an hour long story. Describing everything down to the very last detail. The fear, the anger, her experiences. What everything boiled down to though, was her fear of being alone. Throughout the story, Rarity and the other mare were shocked, surprised, sad, and even angry. Dr. Whooves just looked interested the entire time. "And that's when I realized I was making the wound worse by hiding it. That's why I'm showing it to you now." Everypony sat in their seat in silence. Dr. Whooves was scribbling on a notepad. His assistant sat in her seat quietly in shock. Rarity looked confused, as if she was still processing it all. Embarrassed, Sweetie looked at her hooves, when suddenly, "Omph!" Sweetie grunted as the air was knocked out of her.

"Oh Sweetie! Why didn't you tell me any of this before! I could have helped you! Neither of us would be here right now! You would be at home, and I would be-" Rarity's voice caught. Everything was silent.

"I'm sorry Rarity. I didn't want to call you away from work! If I had remembered-"

"Shh, it's okay, Sweetie Belle. You are more important to me than any job opportunity. You are my little sister, and I will always love you, no matter what happens." Rarity looked up, noticing that there were other ponies around. "I, err... you know what? I don't care HOW cheesy it sounds! It's true! I love you, Sweetie Belle!" She looked lovingly down at her sister.

"Um, sis? Since you love me and everything, can you.... no, I can't ask you to do that! Never mind." Sweetie looked at the ground, but a hint of a smile flickered across her face.

"You can ask me anything, Sweetie Belle, anything." Luckily, the last time Sweetie had said that, they had gotten the uncomfortable question out of the way. Rarity was not about to be embarrassed.

"Uh, since you forgive me, can we go get ice cream?" Sweetie looked up hopefully at her sister. Rarity giggled. That wasn't what she thought her sister was going to ask!

"Of course we can."

"You're the best sister ever!"

"Aww, glad you think so. But where was that comment last week when I cleaned the dishes for you?"

"Umm, uh-" Sweetie was interrupted by Dr. Whooves.

"Sorry to break this up, but we do have a problem on our hands. This little mare here is charged with breaking and entering, and that is a serious offense. Ms. Rose has pressed charges, for this has happened before. We have never caught the ponies who keep doing this, but now, it seems that we know who it is." Sweetie cringed, realizing that she had revealed who had broken in with her. She jumped when the doctor suddenly said, "And there was such hope for him. I thought, I thought he could change." His eyes no longer looked glassy like they did when he looked off into space. "But, he didn't, and Ms. Rose is pressing charges. Sweetie and her friends broke a few things in her house, and they broke in, so-" he was cut off by Rarity.

"Can't I pay her, and they can do some community service or something?"

"Yes, but they also stole something. That decoration that you stole is a priceless family heirloom, and she is devastated by its' loss. Do you know where it is?" Sweetie Belle started feeling really guilty then.

"Um, I don't have it. Fireblaze took it from me," she mumbled.Dr. Whooves's assistant sighed.

"How are we ever going to get it, then? He will have likely hid it somewhere." she sighed.

"Uh, can't we just search his house? Surely you are allowed to do that," Rarity suggested.

"He lives at the orphanage, which we are allowed to search. Problem is, it's huge. It would take months, even a year to finish searching it." Dr. Whooves complained. "We'd never find it. And, and I'm not going to threaten the kid with jail. It didn't work last time, anyway." Both sisters were curious, but they didn't prod Dr. Whooves' past with Fireblaze. They could both tell it had been personal. The police office phone started ringing. "Excuse me." The doctor trotted up to the phone. "Mhm, yes. Community service. We will search. How much? Ok, I'll talk with them. Put you on speaker? Can't you just come do- Ok, ok. Speaker it is." He brought the phone over to the group and pushed the button. "She will speak to us all."

"Hello? Ok, I'm on speaker. Ms. Rarity, it has come to my attention that you are the legal guardian of this delinquent. Nothing will be able to replace my dear Nana's decoration, but she can pay for the damage." Sweetie sat expectantly, waiting for her sentence. "This summer, she will report to me 5 days a week. She will do whatever activity I please. Maybe she will mow the lawn, wash my dishes, or something else. She will do it without complaint. She also broke some things in my house. To pay for that-" Rarity cut her off.

"Ms. Rose? Shouldn't all the other delinquents be a part of this"" Rarity paused. "And the money?"

"Ms. Rarity, they have been taken care of. Their punishments have been taken care of. They have committed felony many times, and Sweetie has only once." Dr. Whooves explained.

"Yes, but the money! Surely they can all pitch in!"

"We will have them all earn that on their own. How much is it, Ms. Rose?"

"100 bits." Sweetie Belle gasped. Even with help from the rebels, how were they supposed to raise that much money?

"Alright, it seems that we have a deal. Sweetie will do all of that, in exchange for you not pressing charges."

"Deal."

"Good, now Sweetie and I must go. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye, Rarity," everypony answered. With that, Rarity trotted out the door.

"Well, Sweetie, how about that ice cream?" Rarity smirked.

~~~~~~

"Mm! Thanks so much, Rarity! I LOVE chocolate ice cream!" Sweetie Belle smiled her chocolaty smile. Rarity stifled a giggle when she caught a look at her sister's chocolate covered face.

"Now, Sweetie, don't think that you got off without a hitch with me," Rarity scolded. "You're grounded for a month."

"Aww! Wait, I don't have anything to do! Yes, I get an excuse to stay inside!" Sweetie launched a hoof in the air.

"Uh, I mean, no TV for a month! No, two months!" Rarity said hastily.

"Alright, you got me the-" Suddenly Applejack burst into Sugarcube Corner looking frantic.

"Rarity, Sweetie Belle! Ah need y'all's help!" Applejack yelled. "Applebloom's," she paused, "'missin'!" Both sisters gasped.

'B- but where did she go?" Sweetie Belle stuttered.

"That's what ahm tryin' to tell y'all!" Applejack fumed. "She was in her room, then poof, she's gone!"

"Applejack, dear. Please try to calm down a bit!" Rarity pleaded.

"Calm down? CLAM DOWN?! My sister's missin' and y'all are tryin' to tell me to CALM DOWN?!?!?"

"Applejack, be quieter! You're starting to sound like Twilight when we told her that it was 'just a test'. What I meant was, we are never going to find your sister if we are worrying our day away! Now, lets go!" Rarity marched out of Sugarcube Corner after scooping up the last bit of ice cream in her mouth. Applejack nodded in reply, and then she charged out the door. Sweetie Belle hurried after them. When she caught up with her sister and Applejack, they were deep in conversation. "Are you sure she didn't leave any clue as to where she has gone?"

"I'm ah mighty sure, Rarity. Nothin' was there but her old cape that the threesome used to wear back in their crusadin' days." Upon hearing that, Sweetie Belle raced ahead of the two mares. She ran as fast as she could toward the barn.

'Sweetie Belle! Why are you running so-" But the rest of Rarity's words were drowned out by the wind that was making Sweetie's mane a mess. She had to get there. She had to see if Applebloom still had her cape. If she had it, it would be like they were connected again. Maybe, maybe she and Applebloom could get through this together! They did have something that linked them, after all. When she reached the barn, she threw open the door and ran across it toward Applebloom's room. Sweetie crossed the kitchen, the bathroom, and finally the living room where Granny Smith was sitting on a rocking chair.

When she saw the blur that was Sweetie Belle whoosh by, she called out, "Sweetie Belle? Ah haven't seen you in a while! Where are you goin'?" But Sweetie Belle didn't hear her. When Sweetie reached Applebloom's room, she threw open the door to find an untouched cape folded neatly on the apple-patterned bed. Sweetie trotted up to the cape and gingerly touched it. She touched as though she were making sure it was real. When she confirmed that, she picked up the cape and examined it. It surprised her to see a paper fall out of the folds of the cape. Sweetie set the cape back on the bed, and picked up the paper. It was written in Applebloom's hoofwriting. Sweetie Belle breathed in sharply. Then, she read the letter.

Dear Family and Friends,

I know this must be hard on you all, but I had to do this. The remembrance of a dead body in my past has made me think horrible thoughts. It has led me to the worst. I realized that I was the one to kill Scoots. If I had gotten there on time, she would have lived. But I didn't, and now, I must pay the price. The nightmares that have haunted me will now come to a stop. I will finally be able to bear myself. This will make me feel better. Before I go, I wanted to say something to each of you.
Applejack: You were the best big sis anypony could have. I am proud to call you my big sis. I know you will miss me, but just remember, this is what will make me happy. If you just let this go, it will make me happy.
Big Mac: For a stallion of little words, you always seemed to know what to say to cheer me up. Now, I will have to cheer you up. Please keep on smiling, for I am in a better place.
Granny Smith: You taught me everything I have ever needed to know, and I will keep that knowledge with me. I love you, Grandma.
Family: This is for all of you. Please don't be sad or mad! Just go on with your lives as if this never happened, because I am happy now. I'll say hi to Mom and Dad. I'm sure they would say hi back if the could.
Sweetie Belle: You are the best friend a mare could ever have. I just want to ask one favor, stay strong for me. Please remember me and Scoots as your two best friends forever. We both say hi, and goodbye, for now.
P.S. Please take my cape, Sweetie Belle. In honor of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Oh, and you will find me at The River.
Love, Applebloom

Sweetie Belle let out that breath she had been holding. So, she's gone? No! She can't be! Surely she is still alive! She is at The River! I have to go there! Sweetie thought. She remembered The River as the river that ran through the far side of the orchard. Suddenly, Granny Smith was at the door.

"Sweetie Belle? What are you doing here? And what are you-"

"I don't have time to explain, Granny Smith. Just please give this note to Applejack!" With that, Sweetie Belle raced out of Applebloom's room. She ran and she ran until she reached The River, fearing the worst. What if Applebloom was already dead? What if she ignored her? What if- Sweetie's rants were cut short when she saw Applebloom.

"Applebloom! Come here! Stop this now! You'll cause us all pain!" Sweetie Belle screeched. At the word 'pain', Applebloom turned to face her. Applebloom's yellow muzzle was tear stained.

"Sweetie Belle, ah have to do this! If ah don't, Scoots will never forgive me!" Applebloom protested.

Sweetie looked deeply into her friends eyes and said "Applebloom, trust me. It wasn't your fault! Please, if you go, you'll cause us all pain. We can work through this together. We can heal together. Y- We won't be alone." Applebloom's tears started to dry up. She looked up at Sweetie Belle, seeming unconvinced.

"But Sweetie, ah caused Scoots pain! All ah deserve is pain myself. Please let me do this!" Sweetie Belle kept a firm grip on her friend's shoulder.

"No," Sweetie replied flatly. "You will cause too much pain here. You will not go. Not while I'm standing here right now." Applebloom only blinked in response. She went on to say how this was better for her, but Sweetie cut her off. She explained the pain it would cause her family, her friends, everypony. By the end of her speech, Applebloom looked thoroughly convinced that the harm she would cause in this world would be even worse than the pain she caused Scootaloo.

"But Scoo-"

"SHUT UP, APPLEBLOOM! You don't realize how that will make everypo- ME feel! Scootaloo is dead and gone! I am not. If you leave, I will never forgive you. I will never be happy, and it will be all your fault." Inside, Sweetie Belle felt the guiltiest she had ever been, but this was the only way. Reasoning and explaining didn't work, so Sweetie did the only other thing she could think of; tricking Applebloom into feeling guilty. Sweetie turned away from her friend. Applebloom's eyes filled with tears.

"I- I don't want to make any of you unhappy! But if I don't do this, I will be-" Suddenly, Applebloom was wrapped in a bear hug. "Oomph!"

"Applebloom! Ah am so glad you're okay! Never do somethin' like this again!" Applejack raved. Her eyes also filled with tears. "Ah am just so glad you aren't gone." Applejack looked lovingly into her sister's eyes. Applebloom looked shamefully away."Y'all- y'all didn't hurt yourself, right?" Applebloom nodded sadly.

"But she was close too. She still wants to! She thinks she deserves it!" Sweetie Belle cried.

"Y'all don't deserve it, sugarcube! It wasn't your fault! It was an accident!" Applejack tried to explain to her sister. After that, everypony trotted away. Applejack with her hoof around her sister, and Rarity with her hoof around hers.

"Sweetie, I am so proud of you! Y- you actually convinced her that what she was trying to do was wrong." Rarity gushed. Sweetie felt proud. She had saved the life of her friend! Well, one friend at least.

No, I won't think like that. I don't want to end up like Applebloom, Sweetie Belle thought. Rarity removed her hoof from her sister's shoulder. She opened the door for her sister.

"I'm going to make a snack for us. I'll call you down when it's ready." Sweetie was already making her way up the stairs. She just nodded and stumbled up the stairs. She couldn't get over the fact that her only living friend had just tried to kill herself. Sweetie buried her head in her hooves. Soon, her heavy eyes overtook her and she fell asleep.

~~~~~~

"I'm going to make a snack for us. I'll call you down when it's ready." Sweetie was already making her way up the stairs. Rarity started to make some of Sweetie Belle's favorite food, daisy sandwiches. Rarity started humming the tune to her new song for the Ponytones, written by her. "Mhm dun da mhm, ya!"

Everypony's sayin' you should learn to express your voice
But if talk doesn't seem like it's the answer

Luckily you have a choice
When you find you've got the music
Got the music in you
Find you've got the music
Got the music in you

Bum Bum dee dee dum

Trot outside and see the sunshine
Something's in the air today
Sky is clear and you're feelin' so fine
Everything's gonna be a-okay

If you listen carefully
On every corner there's a rhythm playing
Then it happens suddenly
The music takes you over and you'll

Find you've got the music
Got the music in you
Find you've got the music
Got the music in you

Everypony's sayin' you should learn to express your voice
But if talk doesn't seem like it's the answer

Luckily you have a choice
When you find you've got the music
Got the music in you
Find you've got the music
Got the music in you
Got the music, got the music in you!

By the end of her song, Rarity had finished making two sandwiches, two cookies, two milks, and two bowls of watermelon. "Sweetie! Snack time!" More like lunch time! I guess I got a little carried away. After 5 minutes, her sister still hadn't come down. Rarity sighed and trotted up the stairs. "Sweetie? You in here?" She opened her sister's door to find Sweetie Belle sacked out on her bed. "Aww!" Rarity put a hoof over her heart. She was so tired! And she looked so peaceful! Rarity sighed. I guess I can store her food in the fridge. I wouldn't want to wake her up.

When Rarity got downstairs, she used her magic to put Sweetie's food in the fridge. Mine as well eat mine, Rarity thought. By the time she finished her milk, Sweetie had trudged downstairs.

"I'm hungry," she moaned. Rarity motioned toward the fridge and Sweetie Belle walked over to it. She pulled out her sandwich, milk, and bowl of watermelon. Sweetie saw her sister finish off her cookie.

"Hey, where's mine?" she whined. Rarity giggled.

"I ate it so you wouldn't get fat." Sweetie pouted, but a smile flickered across her face.

"Oh, I'm the one getting fat! Says the mare who ate all the gumdrops on Friday!"

"I was just craving something, and that's what I found! If I give you your cookie, can we never speak of that again?" Rarity asked her sister.

"Alright, where's the cookie?"

"In the very back of the fridge."

"I should have guessed," Sweetie grumbled. She pulled out her cookie and stuffed it into her mouth. "Fawnks, Wawity!" she exclaimed with her mouth full.

"Sweetie Melody Belle! Manners please!" Rarity scolded. Sweetie rolled her eyes.

"I'm going upstairs to finish my book," she said.

"Alright, but no electronics! Remember your punishment!" Rarity warned. Sweetie rolled her eyes once more.

Yeah yeah, whatever.

~~~~~~

"Button! I can't believe you did that! Seriously, how devious can you get!" Sweetie giggled. She loved talking to her boyfriend, Button Mash. He was always so funny! "Seriously, Button, is she ever going to-" Sweetie's conversation was cut off by Rarity.

"Sweetie Belle! Applebloom's here!"

"Gotta go, Button. Yeah, see you tomorrow. Bye! Love you too." Sweetie hung up her phone and trotted downstairs. "Applebloom! You finally got back from Manehatten! How was it? Oh, more importantly, how were you without counseling for a week?" It had been three months since Applebloom's suicide attempt, and she had counseling twice a week.

"The trip was awesome, and since ah did so well, ah only have to have counseling once a week now!" Applebloom exclaimed. Both mares shrieked. "So, how's it goin' with Button?" Sweetie Belle blushed. Applebloom didn't have a boyfriend, so she was constantly obsessing over her best friend's boyfriend instead.

"It went great! We went to Sugarcube Corner for lunch, and I got a daisy sandwich. We basically just talked and stuff, then the date ended. Time totally flew by!" she gushed. Applebloom nodded, taking it all in.

"OMG! Okay, so ah have to leave in ah bit, chores and stuff, so lets get to talkin'!" Applebloom ushered Sweetie Belle up the stairs. "Hurry up! Ah gotta know what happened to Silver Spoon!"

"Oh, you won't believe it! So Snails-" With that, the two disappeared up the stairs. After some hardcore gossip and a snack, Applebloom left the boutique. "Bye Applebloom! See you tomorrow!" Sweetie called.

Applebloom replied with, "See ya!" Sweetie shut the door with her magic. She quickly set the place mats, plates, and cups out. After that, she whipped up some Yummy Pony Mac 'n' Cheese, salad, and lemonade. She called Rarity over and sighed when Rarity replied with 'one minute.' More like 20 minutes. Sweetie Belle thought. Rarity was working on a new line for Photo Finish, and she was hoping it was going to be the next big thing. After about 10 minutes, Rarity came out of her workroom, looking disheveled. Her mane was pointing in all different directions, and she had bags under her eyes.

"Sweetie Belle! Close the blinds! I can't have ANYPONY see me like this!" Rarity snapped. Sweetie Belle quickly raced over to the windows, knocking over a chair in the process. Rarity rolled her eyes and set the chair upright. Finally, when all the blinds were closed, Sweetie sat down with her sister to dinner. She scooped the Yummy Pony Mac 'n' Cheese in her mouth, then the salad. Finally, she gulped down her lemonade. After washing her dishes, she looked at Rarity. Sweetie chuckled. Rarity was still eating her salad, leaving her Yummy Pony Mac 'n' Cheese untouched.

"I'm going upstairs Rarity," Sweetie Belle said.

"Alright," Rarity replied with a nod, "but don't make a lot of noise. I still have some work, and I need to concentrate." Sweetie nodded in acknowledgement, then trotted upstairs to her room. When she got there, she started to pick up her phone, but then dropped it. She noticed the paper and pens on her counter that was meant for her math homework. Sweetie snorted in disgust. She hated math, it was her worst subject. Then, she had an idea. She remembered back when she was still getting over Scootaloo's death, she used to write letters to Scoots. When they were done, she would leave them at her grave, hoping she cold read them from heaven. It was a silly idea to Sweetie Belle. She knew that Scootaloo was gone, and she couldn't read her letters. But, it would get her out of math homework for a bit. Another thought nagged Sweetie Belle. When she finally realized the thought, she knew she was going to write a letter.

Truthfully, Sweetie was feeling kind of alone. She had lots of other friends, of course, but none of them would ever measure up to Scootaloo. She sat in her desk and began writing.

Dear Scoo
To Sco
Scootaloo-
Hey there, this is Sweetie Belle. I know this is kinda si pretty silly, since you're dead and gone. But, you know, math homework. I'm sure you would understand. So how's it going are you doing well? Applebloom is doing really well.She actually only has counseling one day a week now. Oh, and Button, the boy I had a crush on, is now my boyfriend! And Silver Spoon broke up with her boyfriend, Snails. Rainbow Dash is doing well, also. She misses you, but she knows that you want her to be happy. I'm doing really well too. I miss you, but I feel like you are still here. Rarity has been repairing your cape whenever it gets ripped. It seems as if everything has calmed down and the adventure is over. I know that I still have a lot of life left, but I feel as if everything has come to a halt because it's so calm. That's all for now. Bye, I guess.
-Sweetie Belle

Sweetie Belle proudly examined her work. Aside from some mistakes, it looked, and sounded, really good! I'm sure Scoots will, no would love it, Sweetie thought. She ran downstairs into her sister's workroom. "Rarity, I'm going out!" she yelled.

"Fine, but be home by six!" Rarity yelled in reply.

"I will! This will only take a few minutes!" Sweetie Belle yelled in reassurance.

"Wait, what is it that you-" Rarity was cut off by a slammed door. Outside, Sweetie Belle galloped to the graveyard. She wanted to get there before dark. It was pretty creepy in there with all the headstones and graves. When she got there, she made her way to the newest grave. The grave read; 'Scootaloo 1999-2013 A great friend, flyer, daughter, and sister. She will always be missed.' Sweetie let a few tears fall before she placed the paper on her friends grave. She then realized that another paper was already there, held down by a rock. She also realized that the wind was blowing. She went to find a small, heavy rock to hold down her paper. All the while, she wondered who wrote that paper, and what was on it. She knew better than to invade somepony's privacy like that though. When she finally found a suitable rock, she placed it and her paper on the grave. She took one last look at her friend's grave, and trotted away, all the while muttering, "You were the best friend ever, Scoots. I- I'm sad that you had to go so quickly! I- I'm gonna miss you forever and ever. I-" Rustle rustle, rustle rustle. Something was in the bushes behind her! Sweetie broke into a run, trying to get away from the noise. Although it was not dark, the graveyard still creeped her out. When she got home, she flopped on her bed, out of breath. She panted and panted, until she finally got up to do her math homework.

~~~~~~

The mysterious mare watched as the rainbow-maned pony cried. She didn't like spying on ponies like this, but she had to. She tried to be as quiet as possible when she pushed her yellow mane out of her eye. The bush rustled a bit, but it was windy, so the movement could be passed off as the bush being blown by the wind. After a while, the rainbow-maned pony trotted away from the small grave. Her muzzle was tear stained, and it made the mare in the bushes sad to see somepony so depressed. Luckily, she was leaving. The mare was about to get out of the bush, but then another pony trotted up. She had a pink and purple mane and no cutie mark. The mare sighed and ducked back into her hiding place. She was going to be late because of these visitors! But she couldn't bother them, for that would be disrespectful to them, and the dead. Luckily, the purple and pink pony only stayed for a while. She found a rock and placed a paper under it. Another one? Hmm, I don't know if I can hold all of these! the mare fretted. She poked her saddle bag, momentarily forgetting that she was hiding. The bushes she was hiding in rustled. The filly froze and looked at the bush. The mare held her breath, hoping that the other pony wouldn't check the bush. Luckily, she just ran away. When she was out of sight, the yellow-maned mare released the breath she was holding and stepped out of the bush. She trotted over to a weathered grave and tucked the flowers on it into her saddlebag. She did the same for 12 other graves. Finally, she approached the final grave. She carefully tucked the two letters on it into her bag. She was tempted to read them, "But I don't want to invade the privacy of," she stopped talking out loud to read the gravestone, "Scootaloo." She pulled the flaps of her saddlebag closed and zoomed off toward the sky.

As she got higher and higher, she accelerated, zooming through the remainder of the sky and space. After she zoomed through space, she finally reached heaven. When she got there, she trotted over to the mailboxes. "Hmm, Berry Punch, check. Flam, check. Sweet Tart, check." It went on like this until she reached the last Ponyville box. "Scootaloo, check." The mare slammed the mailbox shut and reported to the Head Mail Angel's office. When she got there, she knocked on the door.

"Come in," a sweet voice said. She opened the door to find her boss, Angelfeather, sitting at her desk. "Ah, Goldenwing! I trust that all went well?"

"Yup! Scootaloo got letters, again," Goldenwing replied with a toss of her yellow mane. Realizing it was coming undone, she quickly redid it in her signature ponytail.

"Oh, that little filly is popular! Sad that she had to go so soon," Angelfeather sighed. "Well, I'll call the ponies to the mail room." She cleared her throat and pulled a microphone up to her mouth. "All Ponyville ponies please come to the mail room, your mail has arrived." Soon, 13 ponies came trotting in the room. Each pony opened their mailbox. Scootaloo trotted up to hers and opened it. She pulled out both letters and read them. First she read Sweetie Belle's letter. She was happy that Sweetie was sending her letters now since she had stopped doing it a while ago. It was nice to hear about all the things that were happening at home. Then she read Rainbow Dash's letter. It also told her of what was happening, but from a mare's perspective.

She also talked about some different things, such as Twilight going into the mirror, Tank getting an upgraded propeller, and "Whoa!" Scootaloo shouted when she read the last part. Rainbow had gotten accepted into the Wonderbolts! When she finished her dance, Scootaloo realized that all the ponies in the mail room were looking at her. "Sorry," she said sheepishly, turning back to her letter. She wished she could see Rainbow's first show. Her yearly trip to Earth was coming up! Maybe, just maybe. Scoots finished reading the letter. When she was done, she tucked it under her wing, along with Sweetie's and trotted to the Scheduling Office. When she got there, she ran up to the pony at the front desk. "Hi! I'm Scootaloo and I'd like to schedule my yearly trip to Earth!" she shouted excitedly. The office mare looked at her, obviously annoyed.

"Please wait in the waiting room until God is finished with his meeting. He will see you momentarily," the mare droned. When she was done, she looked back at her computer and resumed typing. Scootaloo sat on one of the chairs in the waiting room. To pass the time, she pulled out Sweetie's letter again. She read it and reread it, until she had it memorized. Scootaloo wanted to reply to the letter, but she couldn't. But, I can go to her in a dream! Scootaloo thought. For the next 30 minutes, she made plans to visit Sweetie Belle in her dreams. Finally, she was called into God's office. When she opened the door, He smiled at her.

"Ah, Scootaloo! A delight to have you here! Now, I know that you want to schedule your trip to Earth. What day were you thinking?" He asked.

"Well, uh, I kinda wanted to see Rainbow Dash's first show. And, uh, that would be May 22." she stuttered. She didn't think talking to Him would be this hard!

"Alright, May 22. Let me see... alright! I have you scheduled to see the show in 4 days!" God announced cheerfully.

"Thanks!" Scoots replied as she rushed out the door. God laughed in reply.

~~~~~~

That night after dinner, Scootaloo got ready to visit Sweetie Belle in her dreams. She had been watching her friends since her death, and she was glad that Sweetie didn't feel alone anymore. However, Scoots knew that Sweetie Belle was missing her a lot. She hopped into bed, holding the picture of Sweetie Belle. She shut her eyes, muttering a quick prayer, and fell asleep. When she 'woke up', she saw Sweetie in a clearing. "Sweetie Belle!" she shouted, waving her hoof like mad. "Sweetie Belle!" Sweetie snapped her head around and looked at Scootaloo.

"Scoots! D- did you get my letter? I know it was kinda stupid since, since you're dead and all..." She facehoofed and grunted. "You're dead. This is a dream. Y- you didn't come back." Scootaloo was impressed. She knew very little of ponies, let alone a mortal pony, being able to separate her dreams from reality.

"Well, uh, I guess I'm not real, if you say so. I just wanted to say, it's totally okay to miss me, but don't feel depressed like you have been. Please. Oh, and keep sending those letters." Scootaloo added. "I've gotta go. Get a good nights sleep, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo started to walk off, but Sweetie caught up with her. She looked like she wanted to say a million words, but Sweetie just threw her hooves around her friend's neck. Scootaloo hugged her back, disappearing slowly. "Goodbye, Sweetie Belle. Take care!" she said before completely disappearing.

~~~~~~

Sweetie woke up, feeling oddly content. She was surprised how real the dream felt, yet she didn't feel weird about it. She couldn't exactly place her feelings, but Sweetie felt one thing for sure. She felt as if a big weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She sighed contentedly, and stretched out on her bed. She thought, and concluded that she would write a letter to Scootaloo every week. Once she had decided that, she pulled up her covers once more, and shut her eyes. But sleep wouldn't come. As much as she rested, Sweetie Belle couldn't go to sleep. Eventually she pulled herself out of bed. She looked around her room for something to do, but she found nothing. Ipod? No, it's dead. Books? No, read them all. Clothes? No, it was no fun going through her outfits without Applebloom. Finally, her eyes fell on her desk. Pen and paper? Yes, there's plenty of that. Sweetie trotted to her desk and sat down. She picked up a pen and started writing.

Dear Scootaloo,

The End